BCT Editorial – 12/20/06

This page was last updated on December 20, 2006.

Disturbing trend; Editorial; Beaver County Times; December 20, 2006.

Another bogus “working poor” editorial. There have been several editorials on this topic since September 2004 and they are all basically the same editorial with the words moved around. Among these retreads are “Even worse,” “A real challenge,” “With us always,” “Morally right,” “Dire straits,” and “Bottom line.”

I suggest you read the following papers.

Understanding Poverty in America (Backgrounder #1713); Robert E. Rector and Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D.; The Heritage Foundation; January 5, 2004.

Poverty and Inequality; The Heritage Foundation; August 25, 2004.

The Data on Poverty and Health Insurance You’re Not Reading (WebMemo #556); Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D.; The Heritage Foundation; August 27, 2004.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject editorial.

“American dream becoming harder and harder to fulfill in post-industrial America

[RWC] “[P]ost-industrial America?”

“Americans tend to associate poverty with inner cities and rural areas, but a recent report shows that the problem is a lot more widespread.

“The Brookings Institute [sic] reported that suburban poverty rates are outpacing those of the inner cities, and for a first time last year, suburban poor outnumbered those living in cities.”

[RWC] When will the Times get The Brookings Institution name correct? This is at least the second time an editorial misidentified this organization.

The editorial also failed to note Brookings is a liberal think tank, just as The Heritage Foundation is a conservative think tank.

“The trend was reflected in the Pittsburgh region.

“In Pittsburgh the percentage of residents living in poverty increased by about 2 percent from 2000 to 2005 compared to a 6 percent increase for Allegheny County.

“The increase for Beaver County was even larger - 8 percent - over the same period.

“Nearby Cleveland was even worse. In Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, which encompasses the city, the percentage of residents living in poverty increased by 9 percent and 22 percent, respectively.”

[RWC] How can this be? City governments are almost the exclusively the domain of Democrats. Since Democrats always tell us their liberal policies are the keys to prosperity, why aren’t Cleveland and Pittsburgh veritable lands of milk and honey?

“There are various reasons for this disturbing trend, including population shifts from cities to suburbia and stagnating wages in the latter. The bottom line, however, is that the American dream of working hard to improve your lot in life is no longer attainable for many of us.”

[RWC] This is BS and simply another example of promoting victimhood. The key is education and personal drive. If you choose not to get any education – vo-tech, college, et cetera – beyond high school or don’t have some special skill, don’t expect a decent job. This is nothing new. Kids have been told this for decades.

“The reason for that is simple.

“Manufacturing jobs, which once offered high wages, free health care and pension benefits, and provided low-income people with a means to climb out of the poverty morass, are gone. People are now making $15 per hour in the retail and service industries. Health-care plans are rare. Retirement benefits are nonexistent.”

[RWC] “Manufacturing jobs … are gone?” That would be a surprise to the 14+ million Americans (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics) currently in manufacturing jobs.

We must also remember that “manufacturing jobs” is liberalspeak for “high” compensation jobs requiring no special skills.

“[F]ree health care?” Come on, guys, you know better than that. Employer-based healthcare always came out of the pockets of employees, just as the mythical “employer contribution” to Medicare and Socialist Security. Healthcare insurance premiums paid by employers on behalf of employees simply resulted in a lower wage/salary.

Note the editorial never explores the possibility that “high wages, free health care and pension benefits” were economically unsustainable.

“These are predominantly the type of jobs now available in the suburbs. Under those conditions, how in the world can anyone expect to move up in the world? You can’t, and the Brookings report reflects that.

“It’s no wonder poverty rates are increasing.

“These aren’t deadbeats that we’re talking about here. They’re honest, hard-working folks. They pay their bills, take care of their homes and provide good role models for their children.”

[RWC] As I noted in my critique of “Bottom line,” “Yes and no. What example does it set ‘for their children’ when people choose to have families they know ahead of time they can’t afford? When you choose to have a family you know you can’t afford without mooching off others, you set an example of irresponsibility. You tell your kids it’s OK to acquire that which they cannot afford. That’s one of the reasons people don’t save, keep credit card balances, et cetera.”

“But the situation is not hopeless.

“We need to begin looking seriously at some type of universal health care. It’s time to fix Social Security once and for all, so it won’t go down the drain with the retirement of the baby boom generation. And we need to do more in the way of prompting investment in 401K programs.”

[RWC] What a load of BS! It obviously hasn’t occurred to the Times there’s a correlation between government’s interference in healthcare and the rapidly increasing price of healthcare. It’s not a coincidence the two industries in which government interferes the most – education and healthcare – are the two industries whose price increases consistently far outstrip inflation.

Naturally, as a liberal outlet, the Times solution to a government induced problem is more government interference. As has been written before, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

“If America accomplished those things, it would at least relieve some of the pressure on folks who are only one illness away from financial disaster. And that would help some deserving people fulfill their American dream.”

[RWC] You know a person can’t make a cogent case when he consistently relies on emotion and hyperbole.